Family Doesn't End with Blood
by Elanshaw
Summary: Sam realized he had something important to say to Dean. sick!Dean


**Though I am a fan of Supernatural, I always felt for some reason that I couldn't write the boys because I just couldn't feel their voice.**

**So this may work or it won't, but the heart of the topic here has bothered me for a while now and I had to let it out. **

_**Disclaimer**_**: I own nothing to do with Supernatural, except my love of the Winchester boys.**

**Family Doesn't End with Blood**

It was a week after Texas when Dean got sick.

Sam hadn't said anything at first as he was still bristling over how Dean had tricked him about Amelia, but when he woke up one night in their latest motel room to hear Dean heaving violently in the bathroom, he sighed and made his way over to the door.

"Dean, you okay man?"

"F..f…fine…." came the rasped reply.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dude, no you're not."

He tried the door...it was locked.

"Dean, open the door."

Sam waited a minute and was about to knock again when he heard movement and the door swung open. Dean was sitting on the floor leaning against the toilet, breathing heavily his head held down.

"Dammit Dean…" Sam knelt down next to him pressing his hand against his brother's forehead. "You're burning up..."

Dean weakly pushed him away. "I'm fine Sam, go back t' bed."

Sam leaned over filling a glass by the sink with cold water. He handed it to Dean who at first ignored it, but then hesitantly drank a little.

A few seconds later he was face down over the toilet throwing up the water and the last remnants of whatever was left in his stomach.

That was two nights ago.

S/N/S/N

"Nu..nuh…"

Sam looked up from his laptop. It was mid-morning and Dean had pulled his covers off once again. His boxer shorts and t-shirt Sam had stripped him down to were soaked with sweat. Sam bit his lip with worry, Dean's fever had spiked at 103 earlier that morning; with effort he had gotten him to take two Tylenols even though he was sure Dean wasn't aware of it.

When his brother got sick...he _really _got sick. He shook his head in horrible awe over that.

Sam stood and stretched, he was very tired only getting a couple hours sleep over the past two days. He refilled the bowl of water by Dean's bed; then got two more Tylenol a glass of water and he grabbed a pack of dry crackers out of the kitchen cupboard putting everything on the nightstand. He started to wipe down Dean with a cool damp cloth.

"Dean man, come on...you're scaring me dude...I'm going to drag your ass to the hospital any minute now…"

Tremors surged through Dean's heated body; his eyes rolled in his head then opened up into a glazed squint.

"No…no h'spital...swear…"

"Dean…"

"No h'spital S'mmy!" He rasped grabbing weakly at Sam's arm.

"Okay...okay…I promise. Here take these..." Sam helped him take the Tylenol and got him to drink a little water. He offered the crackers but Dean turned his head in disgust.

"Just one Dean, you have to eat."

Dean took a small bite then pushed Sam's hand away and curled in on himself on the bed.

"Can't now...can't…need t'find stream...Cas…"

"Stream? Dean, what stream?"

When he didn't respond, Sam sat back and sighed heavily. If Dean's fever didn't break soon he'd hogtie him if he had to all the way to the emergency room.

S/N/S/N

It was early afternoon; Sam had set up camp on Dean's bed and was slowly nodding off over his laptop when Dean writhed suddenly like he was caught in a nightmare. He muttered something that Sam didn't catch.

"Dean?"

He shook Dean's arm slightly, no answer. Sam got up and wet the washcloth at the kitchen sink then placed it over his brother's forehead. He vowed that if Dean's fever didn't break by morning he would have to break his promise to his brother.

S/N/S/N

"Wh…where?"

Sam opened his eyes and looked over at Dean.

"B'nny...Benny?" Dean murmured.

Sam frowned; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Dean was calling out for the vampire?

"Dean ...it's Sam; I'm here... I got you..."

"Ben..." Dean murmured eyes rolling behind closed lids.

Sam wasn't sure why, but he felt a surge of anger right then. Why was his brother calling out for the vampire?

"Dude...wake up man...please…please…"

Dean's eyes fluttered open, glazed and unseeing.

"B'nny," he panted slightly. "Benny wh're you? Don't you leave ...so tired… Gotta find Cas...Gotta get back to S'Sammy….I know you got my back br'ther… s'where'd you go?"

Sam's eyes widened, did Dean think he was back in Purgatory?

A moment later Dean grabbed onto Sam's arm and Sam's heart cracked at the look of utter sadness in his brother's fevered eyes. Dean's walls weren't just lowered; Sam felt that at that moment they had smashed into small jagged pieces.

You 'ad m' back…but I let you go man…I let you go. S…sorry brother…Adios...Adios." Dean chuckled sadly. "…Had to… S'mmy said… was you or him... it will always be S'mmy...always...you had m' back but I had to let you go…"

Sam stared at his brother in shock. He remembered basically giving Dean that ultimatum; that they could work things out depending on whether or not Dean was done with Benny.

In that moment of anger over what Dean had done to him, he didn't think about what those words would do to Dean. Sam knew that Dean would always love him, that he would always be Dean's brother…

He watched as Dean slowly closed his eyes, then he moved Dean's limp hand away from his arm and grasped his hand tightly pulling it to his chest.

…but Dean had a right to have other "brothers" too…people he could depend on. Dean had earned the right to that happiness…and Sam had taken that away from him.

The self- loathing Sam felt at that moment took his breath away and he suddenly remembered something Bobby had once said to Dean…

_Family don't end with blood, boy!_

Sam slowly shook his head, tears flowing from his eyes as he looked at his brother. He decided he had two very important words to say to Dean…he just needed him to get better first.

S/N/S/N

Dean's fever broke late that night, then another two days passed and he sat propped up in bed quietly flipping channels on the tv; the remote in his limp hand. Sam was preparing some soup in the kitchen and glanced over at his brother.

"Soups about done" he said.

Dean didn't reply, his tired gaze still aimed at the television.

"Dean..."

"…heard you."

Sam frowned, he had watched Dean try to rebuild his walls over the past two days. So, he thought that what he had to say should be said now, before the walls were permanently in place; rock hard…adamantium.

He turned the soup on low then walked over to the bed and sat between Dean and the television.

Dean's eyes flicked over to his brother then away... "Dude, move…I can't see with your Sasquatch body in the way.

"I'm sorry, Dean."

"You will be if you don't move..."

"No man...I'm sorry...about everything…about Benny…"

Dean turned back to Sam, his eyes narrowing. "What?"

"I...I shouldn't have given you that ultimatum...I was angry…but I was wrong…I get it now...and I'm really sorry, man…"

"I don't need your pity, Sammy…"

"And I'm not giving it…I just wanted you to know."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Whatever dude…go get me some soup; I'm hungry...bitch."

Sam smirked. "Jerk" He got up and walked back to the kitchen, happy that he got to say those words to his brother and hoping that Dean would find a way to accept it and realize that he was a worthy brother to Sam and anyone else who was lucky to know him.

On the bed, Dean glanced over at Sam, and then turned to the window, the sun was shining brightly… it looked like it was going to be a good day today.

Dean sighed quietly to himself and smiled.

**The End.**

**So that's it. I hope you liked it. I would love to know your thoughts. Thanks!**


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